Gilbert and George

Being members of the Tate, Bruce and I visited the exhibition of Gilbert and George's work. It is difficult to decide whether their work should be taken seriously or not. Is it all a massive con? Who would buy such enormous works? The later works using digital photography do not seem to be as successful as the earlier works where colour was limited. The artists say this is "art for all" but is it? They seem determined to shock or even unshock the viewer. Is their work religious? There certainly are religious items shown. Death hope life fear is a powerful work addressing major issues. Mullah is a disturbing work. But does art work if we need an explanation of the work to understand it? Maybe it works if we are left puzzling over the meaning??